March 11, 2007

Our Cal

I’m not often inspired by young folks, but this young fella should be a role model for all conservatives. Is he always right? No, but he is passionate about what he believes, and has gotten very involved, standing up for those beliefs.

Calvin Freiburger was a student at Fond du Lac High School in March 2005 when he made national news by taking a defiant stance against school officials who forbid him from saying “God Bless America” over the public address system.

It was the phrase he used to end an announcement about a drive to collect DVDs to send to troops overseas. It wasn’t until the Freiburger contacted a law firm that he was allowed go back on the school’s intercom and use the phrase again.

“I wasn’t really afraid to take a stand. At the time, I guess I was annoyed that there was this misunderstanding. The self-consciousness didn’t kick until the media started contacting me,” he said.

For years, he said, he has looked at the world around him and felt the need to become involved in what he calls “some of its problems.” This past November, he led his own crusade to educate people on his stand supporting an amendment to the Constitution that would define marriage and ban same-sex unions.

“I don’t think we are put on this earth to never stick our necks out for something. Defiance, to me, means not doing it for the sake of being defiant. But if you have something you know is right, it has to be your overriding concern,” he said.

He recites one of his favorite quotes by Winston Churchill: “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”